Things can seem tough.  Really tough sometimes.  Life decisions, life choices, and just plain life can seem so overwhelming at times.  And, when things feel like that, we feel alone.  I know I have.  We even feel like we can't tell anyone else because, well, they wouldn't understand or we would be embarrassed or we might feel too ashamed or proud.  Whatever the reasons, we feel that what it is that is really bothering us, what is really bringing us down is our own cross to bear and our own weight to carry.  When I look around and when I talk to people, though, I see and hear a lot of tough situations being fought by others.  A lot.  From sickness, to finances, to relationships, to loss.  We all deal with difficult things throughout our lives.  All of us.  I know in the past I have forgotten that whatever it is I am dealing with, there are others out there who have dealt with it or could relate or just feel for me in whatever given situations I am in.  I think too often we allow ourselves to stand in the way of help for fear that others might not understand, or care, or even love us.  It has not been my experience, though, with anything that has felt like the weight of the world on my shoulders that someone else made me feel worse.  In those times in my life, people have always made me feel better from just listening, from just relating, and from just helping me accept my own decisions and move towards bettering myself because of them.  I just really have thought recently a lot about the baggage we are all carrying around with us or the experiences that we have all gone through and how no matter what, there are people out there who have been through it, are there to help us through it, and others who need our listening ears and open hearts.  It's just how do you know if what you're going through someone else can relate to, help with, or is going through?  I guess the only real answer, as risky as it might be, is to talk about it and see what happens.  I think more so than not, we will be surprised by what we find:  love, support, and opportunities to grow.  This could be me just being optimistic or overly empathetic, but I truly do believe in the human capacity to help one another through life's experience.  It honestly may be the only way.